i always knew
by sorka robinton
Summary: (this is now pg13, just in case people get "offended" or it gets more interesting.) when the Circle mages are split up, Briar and Sandry have a chance encounter. will sparks fly? there are consequences for loving a higher ranking person.
1. a chance meeting

hey people, this is just a whim. well, bye!  
  
and review!!! please?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Niko!" Briar whined. "Do we haveta stay here?"   
  
The Mage raised his greying eyebrows in mock surprise. "What? Our Briar being picky?"  
  
The boy laughed. "Yeah, I know." Grinning in dismay, he groaned. "Don't i just sound like a bleater?"   
  
Niko did sigh once. "Briar, i know they tease you "Plant Boy," its just that...i need to do some work here first."   
  
"Fine. As long as we get to visit the others after this." He hadn't seen the girls in over a year. After all, Tris was at Lightsbridge, and Sandry with her uncle the Duke while traveling to distant courts.   
  
"Its a deal."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Briar stood in the herb workshop, mixing chrysanthemums and holly for rash salve. Sadly, he sighed at stared at the horrible mess he was making in the dish. "For a seventeen year old, I do a pretty bad job here."   
  
For one year, he had been traveling with Niko to various places, since Rosethorn was currently working on a potion that would test for poison. She and Crane were- for the moment- at peace, so much in fact that Crane was taking much more care of his appearance.   
  
"If he knew I saw his hidden feelings, he didnt mention anything," Briar talked softly to himself.   
  
Briar sighed again, bored. Now, Niko had disappeared, leaving Briar with endless mashing and pounding of herbs. And while he was wearing his nicer clothes, a long sleeved white silk shirt, linen pants, and a leather belt embroidered in silk. Well, compared to the splendor of the court, it wasn't too good, but to him it was fancy.   
  
Loud, confident footsteps paused outside the door. It opened, revealing three seventeen year old nobleborn.   
  
They grinned, clearly mocking him. "You there, _plant mage, _can you give us some poultices for bruises?"   
  
Briar scowled. "Why for? You weak boys dont need nothing for those bumps." He thickened his street accent to bother them, although Rosethorn had taught him properly. Those bleaters were such sissies, needing bruise balm for barely any reason. In Hatar, they would have died out as children.   
  
As he gathered the leaves needed, the boys stood around and joked about him. Soft taps sounded outside the door, which then opened slowly. The nobles gasped. "There she is, the loveliest lady at court!"   
  
"Whomever is betrothed to her is the luckiest person in the continent!"  
  
"I wish that could happen to me."   
  
"Me too."   
  
"Me too."   
  
Briar, with his back to the door, could hear the silly boys assemble themselves and bow courteously. "Lady Sandrilene," they murmered.   
  
Turning around sharply in shock, Briar nearly spilled his poultices. Standing in the doorway was a lovely girl, bedecked in rose pink silk. As he stared, wondering, he saw the delicate silver embroideries at her collar and hem, and the delicate scarves tied to her elbow length sleeves that decended to the ground.   
  
She gasped, her blue eyes opening wide. "Briar? Its you!" The noble boys stiffened and managed not to look at him. Instead, they kept their eyes on the floor.   
  
With an unrestrained cry, Sandry ran forward despite her skirts and threw her arms around Briar's neck. "Briar!" Her lesser height forced her feet to leave the ground. The force of her collision caused them to spin around in a circle.   
  
"Sandry?" Briar whispered, unbelieving. He set her down, keeping both of her hands in his. "Sandry!"   
  
She grinned. The nobles just gaped.   
  
"When did you get here? How...?"   
  
"I have to talk later, the gardens? I just came over when i realized you were here! Uncle is waiting!" With that, she hugged him once more. _Lov- , _she added, then blushed and ran out the door.   
  
Feeling his face warm, Briar turned back to the nobleborn. The stood staring, in shock from the scene.   
  
One of them cleared their throat. "You are lucky."   
  
The others followed suit. "She loves you."   
  
"How do you do it?"  
  
Briar laughed nervously. "What? Thats just my ...friend, Sandry." The boys picked up on that pause and just grinned.   
  
They gestured to the pink scarf nearly wrapped around his neck. Briar unwound it sheepishly. "Always losing her things," he murmered.   
  
From that day on, the boys invited him to their activities. There he was treated as an equal, if not higher ranking.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Kinda boring yeah? oh well, if anyone responds i will keep writing  
  



	2. moonlight

damn, so many pple reviewed i felt like i had to write more...but school sucks so its gonna be super slow.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Briar was so nervous before he went to meet Sandry in the gardens. Not that it wasn't beautiful, it was amazing. There were dozens of avenues, filled with fragrant and exotic flowers. Just the place to talk to her, tell her.   
  
Did she love him back? That last mindword she had said, could it be true? "Lov-" he whispered to himself.   
  
He actually changed his shirt. Usually, he didnt do that for a while, unless Niko caught him. And, he wore shoes. The things he did for love. Taking the rose he had purchased from his dresser, he appraised himself in the mirror once more before slowly leaving the room.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sandry wandered through the gardens. Cursing for forgetting to tell Briar where to meet her, she walked in a large circle. Pausing finally at the rose gardens, she prayed that he would figure roses...Briars...  
  
Her dress, a flowing white silk, shone in the moonlight. "A romantic night," Sandry murmured. She bit her lip. Oh, if only Briar loved her. That slip of her mind tongue...would it scare him away?   
  
"Sandry?" A quiet voice interrupted her reverie.   
  
Turning, her heavy skirts swirled around her legs. "Hey, Briar." She managed a small, yet sweet smile.   
  
The moonlight gleamed in his green eyes. He blushed. "I brought you flowers." Holding out his hand, he offered her a single, long stemmed red rose.   
  
Stepping up to him, Sandry took the scarlet flower. It's blooming petals were flawless, velvety. Shyly, she stepped closer to him.   
  
Plucking a sweet lily from the vine before him, Briar tucked it gently behind her ear. The creamy petals just touched her pale cheek, its silky petals in no way comparing to her flawless skin. It's perfume enhanced his strange excitement. Interestingly, this did not seem like a casual chat.   
  
He wanted to stroke her cheek, just as the smooth flower was doing. In an uncharacteristic gesture, he reached his hand and touched her cheek gently. Then he chuckled at himself.   
  
"Ain't myself today, quite?" he asked softly.   
  
Sandry smiled. Leaning, she rested her head on his shoulder. Then, placing her small hand on his cheek, she slowly raised her face and kissed him.   
  
The soft feel of his lips on hers was almost unbearable. The tingling bliss both of them felt extended to the growing plants, which erupted in a colorful display of blooms. His lethargy over, Briar drew her close to him, as close as possible.  
  
For the moment, he concentrated on the feel of her breath, the way her hair flowed softly over his hands. He swept her up in a passionate motion to kiss her again.   
  
He was holding _Sandry _in his arms. Briar could hardly believe his good luck. Was this just a dream?   
  
He didn't care.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~```  



	3. conflicts

hey guys, it turns out i had time. so well, heres chapter three.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
For hours, Briar and Sandry just stood forehead to forehead, gazing into each other's eyes. Walking back to the palace only when dawn broke over the horizon, they clasped hands until the gate.   
  
"What is Uncle going to say?" Sandry whispered in Briar's ear, who just shrugged worriedly. Hopefully, the Duke's usually calm demeanor would prove to be constant.   
  
They walked slowly through the gates, only parting at the Grand Staircase in the empty hall. Sandry walked partway up the steps, then turned back and threw her arms around his neck. Burying his fingers in her silky hair, he kissed her forehead, her eyes, then travelled down to her mouth. Responding exactly the way he hoped, she smiled and returned the affection. Only then did she continue on her way.   
  
Turning with a grin, Briar slammed right into Niko. The older man was pulling furiously at his mustache, his eyebrows so furrowed that they were touching.   
  
Oh no.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Briar yelped as he was dragged into his room by the ear. "Ow! Niko..."   
  
The mage slammed him down on a chair. "Briar!" he roared. The boy meekly lowered his eyes. Some anger disipated from Niko's face, but his eyes were still stormy. "Briar, you cannot just go around doing things like that!" His ears flushed red. "Indecent handling! And-" he yelled-"where were you all night? Doing _that _to Sandry?"   
  
Briar sat up, his green eyes flaming. "And why not? This-" he pounded the table in emphasis-" is not just a passing whim, someone to be played with. This is _Sandry._"   
  
He slumped lower and muttered something. Sharply, Niko commanded him to sit up straight. "And speak clearly, too."   
  
The boy looked away. "I think i love her."   
  
Niko sighed, suddenly gentle. "Briar- you know as well as I that Sandry is a Ward of the Duke," he said carefully. "And you have to be careful now. Both you and Sandry are getting older, and not only are reputations at stake." Niko's cheeks were almost as red as an apple. "Do you understand what I mean?"   
  
Briar felt his cheeks heating up also. "Yeah, Niko, i getcha."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
That evening, Sandry showed up at his door. Luckily, Niko wasn't there, otherwise he would have gotten another embarassing lecture. She sniffed. "Briar? I have to leave tomorrow with Uncle. To Winding Circle!" she wailed.   
  
Briar felt his heart crash to his feet. "That- thats in the opposite direction of where Niko is going..."   
  
Sandry grabbed his hands. "Do you think Uncle will let me go with Niko? Or let you come with us?" Her blue eyes were wide and hopeful.   
  
Briar shut his jaw, determined. "They will have to." He gritted his teeth. "I will not let us be parted again."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	4. the path to Winding Circle

heh, sorry 'bout the cliff hangers. at least i didnt leave it off THAT badly rite.  
oh and yah, they were ooc. sorry, ill try more this time.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Briar dipped his bare feet in the waters of the natural caves. After walking over rocks, without shoes, his feet ached slightly.   
  
They had agreed to meet there, to discuss "plans." When Briar had pestered Niko about another traveling companion, the man had sighed. "Briar, do you think i need some _other _thing to worry about?"  
  
Well, after three hours of constant and forced deliberation, the mage had wisely capitulated.   
  
_Sandry?_ Briar called in his mind. He listened for her reply, patting his pocket just to feel the emerald-encrusted rock he had dug out of the cave wall. Just imagine! There didn't seem to be any more, but...it would be enough for something he had in mind.   
  
_Almost there!_ her distant cry rang faintly in his ears.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Sandry, streaked with mud, entered the dark cave. "Briar?"   
  
The dark shadows moved, and the boy slouched out. "Here." He nearly laughed out loud when he saw the mudball she had become, until she threatened to push him in the pool. _Again, _she added. _I did it when we were thirteen, remember? And I wont hesitate this time..." _she warned silently. Briar continued to grin, however.   
  
Washing her arms in the pool of cave water, she avoided eye contact. Worried, Briar nudged her mind. _Sandry? Is everything alright? _He poked at the shadowy blot, trying to see what was bothering her. _  
  
_She whirled. "Briar, stop that!" Realizing they were not going to go anywhere until she told him, she groaned and sunk down onto her knees. Burying her head into her lap, she moaned, "Uncle wanted me to think about settling down...you know, the whole betrothal operation and all."   
  
"What?" Briar yelled, his voice echoing to distant caverns. Taking a deep breath, he controlled his temper. _I better keep to this, 'wise i would alert all people on the continent with bellowing.   
  
Briar! What am i going to do? I yelled and practically threw a tantrum. So far, i've made him stall all processes, and i can go to WInding Circle with you and Niko. But he's still thinking about it! _Sandry sniffed, pausing her frantic mindspeech. _Besides, i couldnt explain to him exactly why i didnt want any formal arrangements, either.   
  
"_Well," Briar said out loud, "At least you can come with us. That gives us a bit of time, considering."   
  
Her blue eyes flashing, she scowled. "I dont want a bit of time, i want my own life!" Sandry kicked the dusty stone floor of the cave. "I will go absolutely nuts if Uncle trys to control every little bitty aspect of me, including marriage!"   
  
She sighed, her anger dissipating. "I know he just means best, but sometimes he's so traditional." Sandry looked so sorrowful that Briar felt, despite his usually gruff moods, the strong need to hug her. Kissing her forehead, he restrained himself. It wouldnt be appropriate to repeat that amazing display they had shown on the staircase yesterday.   
  
Briar grinned, an idea entering his head. "Then we won't let him do that, will we? I mean, there has to be another way."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Niko pounded on Briar's door. "Boy, its time to leave! Our wagon and horses are ready, and we have to leave! Briar! BRIAR!"   
  
"Hey, Niko," the plant boy complained. "Its barely dawn!" He stifled a yawn and grabbed his carrysacks. Stumbling out to the gates, he saw that Sandry was already mounted on her Honey, seemingly perky and awake.  
  
"And why are you so up and alert at this ungodly hour?" he grumbled. Approaching his brown Nutmeg, he vaulted up to the saddle. He then saw she was dressed in worn breeches and an old shirt. Raising an eyebrow, he asked the silent question. _Why?_  
  
She winked. "I had to leave now, before Uncle changes his mind. Theres a big ball scheduled for tonight, and I couldn't risk any chance that i would have to go!" She then added, _Well, they are more comfortable than skirts, and, frankly, i just felt like it. I had to hide these from Uncle, he gets so upset when i wear them. _  
  
"You two!" Niko growled, also unfriendly in the morning. "Now! To Winding Circle?"   
  
"See what i have to put up with?" Briar murmured. Sandry just giggled.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  



	5. willowbark

hey guys! please review! and yes, im feeling mushy today, and shaddap i know its ooc but its more fun this way  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Sandry! Briar!" Lark exclaimed, putting down her loom. Hugging each of her former charges, she smiled welcomingly. "Well. Its been a while, hasn't it?"   
  
Sandry grinned. "Lark! Where's Pasco?" she asked, peering around the corner.   
  
Her teacher frowned slightly. "Gone, for now. I wouldn't go near his stuff, he has catch spells put anywhere. Even the door, try not to touch that, i had to free Little Bear about four times."   
  
"Wheres Rosethorn?"   
  
"Briar, shes at the Greenhouse. Don't bother her," Lark added, her eyes twinkling. Briar caught her drift and winked at Sandry.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Briar!" Sandry shrieked. He only tightened his grasp on her hand as they whipped through the trees.   
  
"Hang on to your stuff!" he yelled gleefully, picking up the pace. Dragging her into a clearing, he dropped his basket and grabbed her around the waist. Swinging her around energetically, he nearly bopped her head on a tree branch. She held up her hands and caught a branch.  
  
"Hey, Briar, hold for a sec," she said. When he put her down, she showed him her closed fists. "There are wild strawberries growing up there, on the willowbark."   
  
Kissing her nose lightly, he chucked. "Clever girl." Deciding to assert himself, he swept her in a low dip, lifting her feet off the ground. "Milady?"   
  
Squealing, she twisted and used inertia to flip them over. Rolling down the forest floor, they hit a bump, then landed painfully against the large willowbark. "Ow!" Briar yelped. "Sandry, are you trying to _kill_ me?"  
  
Laughing, she pulled him down over her. "Gotcha back!" Then, more concerned, "Are you alright?" He groaned, but watched her anyway.   
  
Gods, she was beautiful. Her long, golden brown hair flowed down her shoulders to her hips, and her wide dark fringed eyes were offset by the deep emerald moss that cushioned her head. Leaning down to kiss her, Sandry's silky hands pulled him down.   
  
Every place they touched seemed to be on fire, from his lips on hers to where his body was leaning directly on hers. His heart pumping fast, all he could taste was the sweetness of her lips and her hands on his face.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
They had collected enough in the little time they had actually gathered willowbark to have a substantial offering to Rosethorn. Briar knocked on her workroom door. "Rosethorn? You in there?"   
  
"Yeah."  
  
Walking in, Briar nearly fell over in surprise. What was up with her? From the new makeup to the silver clip in her cropped hair, she was turning into...a girl? Thinking of Crane, he grinned.   
  
Sandry smiled. "Where's Crane?"   
  
Rosethorn blushed slightly, an extremely rare occurance. "Greenhouse," she said tartly. "Boy, is this all you got?"   
  
Grinning, he nodded. "Sure."   
  
Lark knocked on the door. "Sorry, but you're all going to have to be in the attic tonight. Pasco," she scowled, "is still at the Weavinghouse, and doesn't 'feel' like dismantling his spells."   
  
"That's fine," Briar said innocently.   
  
Sandry smiled. "I guess we'll manage, Lark."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  



	6. attic

hi again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lark dragged some blankets up the ladder, while Briar followed her, laden with mattresses. Sandry followed, carrying pillows and a lantern.   
  
Turning, Lark sighed. "Once again, im sorry. And i will hurt Pasco for this. The caravan leaders are in the other three rooms right now, and i can't just kick them out!" she said apologetically.   
  
"Thats okay," Briar grunted, placing the straw-filled matresses on the floor.   
  
"Well, alright then, i have to go to sleep! Got a conference with Niko and Moonstream in the morning."   
  
Dragging Little Bear out, Lark closed the door. "He has to stay out, last time he tried to jump off the roof," she explained.   
  
~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Little Bear's nose kept pushing the attics door open. Finally, Lark yelled tiredly "Close the little clasp, it will keep the door locked."  
  
Pushing the hatch down against Bear's pleading nose, Briar closed the hook and touched it with a dab of magic. "I know you can open that flimsy metal thing," he warned.   
  
Turning around, he grasped Sandry around the waist. Touching his finger to his lips, he made a shushhing sound.   
  
She grinned, and then squealed in his head. Pulling his face close, she kissed him so hard he fell over backwards. Flailing for a second, he surrendered to her. The cool wood pressed into his back, as he caught her arms and drew her closer.   
  
Sandry stared down at him, her hands entwined in his. Her loosened flaxen braid flowed over her shoulders, tickling his face. Lips parted slightly, their eyes caught hold.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
is this a cliffhanger> i dont think so, but people accuse me of that all the time so...tell me ok


	7. pasco

hellos this is part 7...kinda short, but at least its here...and pasco comes into this only because i just bought magic step...otherwise he would not even have an apperance  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sandry stared down at Briar...the look they exchanged was long and intense. She kissed him passionately and smiled as he responded happily.  
  
Suddenly, the hatch to the attic flew open. "Sandry!" Pasco's voice came up through the hole as he scrambled up the ladder.   
  
Thinking quick, Sandry, with the help of the string in her clothing, managed to throw herself away at tremendous velocity. However, she tried a bit too hard. Slamming against the wood wall, she groaned.   
  
Pasco jumped up and ran to her. "Sandry? Are you okay?" the boy asked, his dark eyes wide against his tanned skin.   
  
Once again improvising, Sandry jumped up. "Briar, if you ever try that again...Its not nice to show off and trip me!" Running up and feigning anger, she pummelled him while an amused Pasco watched.   
  
"So, Teacher," he grinned. "Have you grown up yet?" he asked. "Or did you grow up too much? Do i hear lovebirds singing?" The mischievious boy danced around the room, holding an invisible bride in his arms.   
  
"Pasco!" Briar moaned. "How did you know?"  
  
The younger boy rolled his eyes. "I have three sisters! And I could see Sandry flinging herself. But, it was a good effort. Nice acting, by the way."   
  
"Don't tell," the two warned him.   
  
Pasco laughed hysterically. "Would i do that?"   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Pasco had stayed for a few minutes to chat, but left the two alone with a wink. As Sandry lay curled in Briar's arms that night, she felt a tweak in the back of her mind.   
  
"What was that?" Briar murmered.   
  
Feeling it tweak again and then solidify into a word, Sandry suddenly sat upright. "Tris!"   
  
The hazy words reached her mind. "Sandry?" it whispered. "I'm coming back to Winding Circle, for a holiday!"   
  
Briar heard, too. "When?"   
  
"Maybe two weeks."   
  
Sandry smiled. "We should still be here, Briar."   
  
He groaned. "Now if only Daja could come into contact, we could have a Circle reunion."   
  
  
  
  



	8. return to emelan

sorry its been a while since i posted...  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
"Sandry!" Lark yelled. "Your Uncle is here to collect you!"   
  
The girl groaned. This last month had been so wonderful, away from the court and its stuffy habits. She regretted having to return to the endless balls, tea hours, and simpering suitors whom she just wanted to slap.   
  
Briar looked up from stuffing a few shirts into a carrying sack. "Did Niko say I could go too?" he asked, his green eyes hopeful.   
  
Smiling, she nodded. They ran out to their horses, loading clothes and supplies on the saddlehooks. The Duke of Emelan frowned, his lined face creasing in disapproval. "Sandry, you cannot just run away like this. Irresponsible behavior is what ruins a good mind."   
  
The girl patted her Uncle's hand, apologizing. Some semblance of the old Duke, the smiling friendly man, surfaced in his strained face. Since that heart attack, his demeanor had been more and more crotchety and anger-laced. But he truly loved his niece, no matter what happened.   
  
_Watch your step, Briar, _Sandry warned. _He's feeling more...touchy today. _  
  
_Dont worry, everything will be okay. _he replied, trying to believe his own reassurances. What if the Duke hated him, or married her off to someone else? He would never admit it to Sandry, but he was afraid of the future and the obstacles they would have to overcome.   
  
They waved farewell to Lark, Pasco, and Rosethorn, and rode on to Emelan.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~``  
  
Sandry sighed. "My warm greetings, Rolein ra Sardin," she said blandly, disgusted by the gutless wimp standing before her. Repressing her urge to groan with disgust, she offered her hand for him to kiss.   
  
After seventeen dances with similar partners, Sandry wanted to scream! This was horrible...Uncle seemed truly determined this time. _Briar? Help me, please? _she begged.   
  
The boy, who had been standing quietly in the corner, stood up quickly and walked over to his secret love. "Would you like to dance?" he asked aloud, for the sake of the ninnies gathered around her. She nodded, her blue eyes sparking with humor.   
  
He was dressed finely, she noted, with white silk shirt embroidered with fine gold thread, under a scarlet and gold brocade tunic and russet pants. _Did Lark deck you out in finery, in secret? _she asked.   
  
Briar shook his head. _Rosethorn! _he silently exclaimed. _Would you beileve it? She guessed..._he added sheepishly. _Lark too. _He gestured to her nearly matching gown, a deep red also stitched with gold. _Didn't she tell you to wear that, too? She planned this out carefully.  
  
I know. But they didn't bother us, at least. _Sandry paused. _Would you like to take a walk? _she asked mischivously, her bare shoulders twitching teasingly.   
  
_Sure. _He grinned, and she smiled impishly back.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~_  
  
uncles going to be pissed, verrrrry soon. hes being hardass right now, because he's sick and stuff. some people asked about his out of character-ness, and its because he's not doing so well. _


	9. vedris

hey again...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sandry ran through the gates of the rose garden, the site of their first kiss. Dragging him through by the hand, she laughed gleefully as they stumbled through to the rose covered gazebo.   
  
"Sandry!" he exclaimed, surprised yet very pleased with her amorous nature. "What's the rush-" he was cut off as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely.   
  
Stepping back smugly, she grinned unrepentantly. "Sorry, but i missed that! _Everyone _knew at Discipline, so i could _barely _kiss you at all!"   
  
"Aww. How sweet," he drawled teasingly. Sitting next to him on the bench, Sandry relaxed with a sigh.   
  
"Sandry?" She turned her head to look at him inquiringly, for she had never heard that pleading tone in his confidant voice before. "Are you going to be married off by your uncle?"   
  
"No!" Sandry nearly yelled. "He will not, even if he is parading every single _idiotic _male in front of me!" She crossed her arms, her blue eyes sparking from anger at her Uncle. "He will not, and i shall not obey."   
  
Briar sighed with relief. "I'm sorry to upset you, but...i just needed to know. It's been keeping me awake at night sometimes, wondering if i could ever possibly have a chance to marry..." He blushed slightly.   
  
Sandry flushed also, slightly shy at this serious thought. "I think you have more than a chance, plant boy," she teased shakily. "I don't want to marry anyone but you, ever!"   
  
He was extraordinarily pleased. "Good." Drawing her small hand in his, Briar squeezed it gently. Just as he was leaning in to seal the moment with a kiss, a crashing through the bushes startled both of them out of their reverie.   
  
"Sandry!" Vedris roared, his face turning a mottled purple. Niko ran behind him, a few paces back. He tried to draw the angry man back to the castle, but to no avail. "You get away from her, you thief!" Grabbing Briar by the arm, he hauled him off the bench and tried to knock him into the hedge.   
  
"Uncle!" Sandry screamed, her face flushed with anger. Luckily, the street boy was nimble on his toes and landed upright. She ran to his side, away from her angry guardian.   
  
Niko clutched at the Duke's sleeve. "Vedris, go back to the party."   
  
He shook off the mage. "No, i shall deal with my niece and this miscreant." Turning back to the two, the Duke glared at Briar. "_You_. Never let me see you again with my niece, and keep yourself at a distance from me." Regarding Sandry, defiantly standing next to her love, he pointed to the hall. "In three days I am betrothing you to Pedrin er Baloi, and you shall marry him before you turn seventeen. Which means in three months or less, at his mountain fort in Nemorn."   
  
"What?" she shrieked.   
  
"My decision is final." With that, Vedris turned on his heel and walked crisply back to the great hall.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
  
  
  



	10. yazmin

sorry, guys, i know the duke is ooc, but i forgot to mention...he's really sick and stuff, and he got cranky. besides, he just caught his sixteen year old niece making out in the garden with some boy, im sure he's perfectly happy. and i try make up another reason ok?  
  
oh, and **dani **wants fluff, so...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sandry caught up to her uncle just as he reached his office, away from the noise of the banquet below. "Uncle, you don't understand!"   
  
Turning on his heel, Vedris coldly regarded his niece. "You are a young lady now, and cannot keep these childish games! You are of noble blood, and will marry suitably. But not if you ruin your reputation first!"   
  
"What?" she shrieked. "But I love him!" she spat, blue eyes sparking angrily.   
  
The duke laughed bitterly. "Love? Is that really true? What does love do for someone, anyway? It gives, and takes away just as quickly." He glanced at the painted portrait on his wall, partly with anger and partly with wistfulness.   
  
"Yazmin?" Sandry gasped, staring at the painting, saying the name she had kept silent for two years, because of the pain it brought her uncle. "You blame her for dying!" she accused, all aware that her uncle's sudden change in character was because of love lost. "And when she died," she sighed, "because of that stupid, gods cursed quake..."  
  
For one moment, the Duke's face softened into an image of his old personality, before his losses. "Yes, Sandry dear." His face contorted. "And she left me. Both my wives left me alone."   
  
Sandry tugged at his sleeve sadly. "But she loved you! She didn't mean to go..." Her uncle buried his face in his hand, breathing hard from strong emotions and exertion. "And your health...you have to be careful, Uncle. Please sit down."   
  
Abruptly, he jerked away. "No! I will not be coddled." His eyes hardened at this thought, and he turned back to Sandry. "And I shall not coddle you, either. You shall marry Pedrin. Now leave me!"   
  
"No!" Sandry screamed. "Would Yazmin _want _you to be this horrible? Is this the man she fell in love with?" He turned his face away, and began writing a letter. Feeling terribly hurt, the girl tore out of her uncle's office and back to Briar.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
An hour later, Sandry was still crying and Briar was still trying to comfort her. "Why didn-nt he tell-lll meee?" she wailed. "Yaz-min wouldn't want him lik-ke this!"   
  
"Shh," he half-sang, desperate to help. "Please, Sandry."   
  
The girl buried her face in his shirt. "Briar!" she sobbed. "I don't know what to do! He wants to send me away, with Pedrin." She kicked the sofa in her anger, knocking over a small brass plate on the nearby table before she sat down next to Briar. Even if she was mad, Briar thought, she was still calmer.   
  
"Don't worry, Sandry, we can work this out. We have to!"   
  
Wiping her eyes, she smiled. "Yes." Snuggling closer, she hugged him around the waist. "I wouldn't give you up for the world. No matter what."   
  
"Promise?" the boy asked, oh-so-pleased that Sandry was suddenly over her hysterical sobbing. He tipped her backwards playfully, grinning as she shrieked, her braid just touching the carpeted floor.   
  
She pulled herself up, fluttering her eyelashes in mock distress. "Promise." Then she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. Burying her fingers in his tangled curls, the girl's lips caressed his own. The sudden change in emotions entirely shocked Briar, or so he claimed, for he tumbled off the low couch and landed on the floor with a bump and banged his cheek on the table.   
  
"Ow."   
  
"Aw," she teased. "Do you want Mother to kiss it and make it all better?"   
  
He grinned evilly. "Not Mother, but if Sandry would oblige...?"  
  
She swatted his arm. "Naughty little boy!" But she did anyway, her lips softly encouraging his responses, which he eagerly returned. His fingers held onto her waist for balance, but the sofa was behind him, sliding with their every movement.   
  
Finally, the flimsy seat shifted with their weight, and both toppled onto the deep rug. Sandry continued to caress his face and neck, looking up at him with her flaxen hair spread about on the carpet like a halo.   
  
At the moment, he couldn't quite grasp what was happening. Maybe the firelight flickered in a certain way, or the curls of her hair draped over his hand just right, but something strange awakened in him. It was like...fire, kindling from everywhere they touched, from her hands on his cheeks to where he lay draped haphazardly on top of her. He didn't know what it was, but as his emerald eyes met her blue ones, her gaze agreed wholeheartedly.   
  
He stared down at her for one long, loving moment before he continued his pursuit.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
that enough fluff (that rhymes!) for y'all?  
  
  



	11. fear/joy

hey peoples,   
  
yeah, u guys (well, lady serna) were wondering why they would do that...well, think. sandry, even if she follows most "rules and regs," is independant. briar is a street boy, and has been exposed to this kinda stuff since early childhood. so...  
  
and besides, its part of my plot, and u cant change that...haha...im just a power hungry goddess over my stupid characters...or tp's, whatever...evil laugh...  
  
k im nuts...bye  
  
oh, and i released my email! you can write if you wanna...its sorkarobinton@yahoo.com...so original, rite?  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Sandry!" Briar hissed, shaking the girl. Mumbling, she rolled over and groaned.   
  
" 'S morning yet?" she mumbled, burying her face in the pillow.   
  
The boy peeked out the window. "Sandry-love, i got to go, before someone finds out. Its sunrise!"   
  
In surprise, Sandry sat up hastily. "Oh, gods!" Within a few minutes, they had Briar bundled out the door.   
  
Luckily, no one caught Briar leaving the young noblewoman's chamber in the early hours of morning. If they had, he would have been sure the Duke would sentence him to some horrible punishment...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Sandrilene," the Duke introduced, "this is Pedrin." The young man, his hair greased back with what seemed like pounds of oil, smiled simperingly and kissed her hand.   
  
As blandly as possible, Sandry greeted him. "Hello, Pedrin." The duke ignored the pleading glance his niece gave him, pretending not to see.   
  
For the next fifteen minutes, the poor girl was forced to dance with her future fiance, as he tried to charm her with lame jokes and bad poetry quotes. "You are as beautiful as the sunshine, and won't you be ..uh.. mine..."   
  
_Briar, i can't let this happen, its disgusting! _she wailed.   
  
_Its okay, Sandry. We will work something out. _He tried to soothe her, lest she strike out at Pedrin and ...maul him, or something drastic. _You know i love you, Sandry. No matter what happens...forever..._  
  
_Oh Briar! _her mind voice was shaky. _I...I don't see what's the problem, after all you will be labeled a great mage in three years...thats perfectly respectable...more than this mama's boy will ever do...  
  
_Smiling in his mind, Briar stifled a laugh.   
_  
Ew, he just touched my hand with his sweaty little fingers! _she squeaked.   
  
After the third dance, _disgusting dance_, she added, Sandry silently departed. Her uncle stared after her, sadness in his eyes, but Briar recognized that his pride was too great to change his decision...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
This animosity between the Duke and Sandry kept up for a month, and the deadline of Vedris' plan began to close in. She was still, however, required to sit with him during tea and in the early hours of evening. It was during one of these solemn and forced meetings that problems truly arose.   
  
"Sandry," the Duke began stiffly, smoothing a parchement out with a shaking hand. "Pedrin is awaiting. I shall write back today, is there anything you would like to tell him?" And Great Gods, please...don't hate me, his mind murmured.   
  
The girl turned. "Tell him to leave me alone!" she muttered. "I can't believe you're forcing me to do this, Uncle!" she pleaded.   
  
Vedris found he could not meet her gaze. "Sandry, I have made up my mind! Even if his looks are personality are not much...its a good political match for you..." He tried to convince his mind that, although pricks of some emotion prodded at his soul.   
  
"I don't love him. I love Briar!" she wailed.   
  
"You are obligated to follow my will, without question." The duke cleared his throat. "As my female charge, I have the right to dispense you into any marriage or home. Without your _silly _wishes getting in the way of executive decisions." He pounded his fist firmly on the table.   
  
"Stop being a child and realize that, as a noble female, you have no say in your fate." His throat choked up as he remembered Yazmin. Bitterly, he wished he had never met her, never experienced such pain...  
  
"Uncle!" Sandry could not believe her ears. "Is that truly how you feel?" At his nod, she swallowed hard. "I can't understand...where is my Uncle? What happened to him?" Her last word was a sobbing gasp.   
  
He stared at her, rigid and unforgiving. His deep voice hard. "I'm replying to Pedrin right now, and that is final! You are to be wed in two weeks, and are leaving in four days!" Stabbing furiously at the paper with the quill pen, he signed his name with an angry flourish and sealed it with wax.   
  
Sandry, her blue eyes tearing over, ran out of the room. She was gone so quickly that she could not see her uncle leaning heavily over the desk, his head bowed in grief that his heart felt, even if it couldn't reach his mind.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sprinting out of Vedris' office, Sandry ran smack into Briar. "Sandry!" he gasped, seeing the tears streaming down her cheeks. "What's wrong?"   
  
She shook her head but grabbed his wrist, pulling him into an empty study and shutting the door firmly. Sitting down, she continued to cry but managed somehow to control herself. The boy tried to comfort her, patting her back reassuringly.   
  
"Briar!" she gasped, her chest heaving with residual sobs. "My uncle is sending me away...four days...!"   
  
"What?" he said, shocked, his emerald eyes wide.   
  
"And Briar..." her voice trailed off. "I have to tell you...gods, this is hard!" She looked up pleadingly. "Do you remember that night..."  
  
He nodded, his throat constricting. Could it be...his mind alternately slipped from fear to shock to exuberant joy...back to shock...  
  
Her voice confirmed his fears/joy. "Briar, I'm going to have a baby..."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
  



	12. run away

yes i know its crazy...but i want this to be unpredictable, no obvious things, so if i make lots of twists, dont mind me. im trying to be creative...although you all have predicted from the beginning whats gonna happen in this chapter...except maybe the last part. if you get the last part, you are very perceptive...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Briar just stared at Sandry. "A baby?"   
  
She nodded, eyes as wide as plates. Grabbing his hand, she placed it on her stomach. "Look with your magic."   
  
He obediantly complied. Inside her belly, a small glowing white orb, laced with rose pink shimmers, pulsed gently but steadily. Gasping, the boy's jaw dropped.   
  
Sandry was nearly in tears. "What am i going to do?" Her voice trembled slightly. "Uncle is making me leave in four days! Briar, hes awful! And what will i do when i have my baby only eight months after the marriage?"   
  
Briar, still with his hand on her stomach and their child, looked at her. Her eyes were pleading, but she refused to meet his glance. "Sandry, do you want to go away with me?" His voice, though hopeful, was entirely sure of itself.   
  
She looked away, drawing back. "I dont want to force you to do anything. Its what you want right now, too. I can always manage, love."   
  
He grasped her shoulders. "Sandry, right now _I_ am asking you. I truly want to be with you, no matter what happens. And it seems like to do that is to...well, get away."   
  
Finally looking up, Sandry stared into his eyes searchingly. "What about your mastery?"   
  
Crossing his arms, Briar grinned. "What about _yours?"   
  
_Sandry stuck her tongue out at him, as she had when they had first met at the age of ten. "Are you sure about this?" she demanded, her blue eyes worried. "As I said, I dont want to force you."   
  
"Oh, stop it Sandry." Drawing her closer, the young man kissed her. "Don't worry, everything will be fine." The poor girl, now carrying another life, burst into tears.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Sandry, a leather satchel looped over her arm, snuck out of the castle and down to the stables. She had taken two plain dresses, one nice one, a warm cloak, blankets, and her small but ample savings. At the last minute, she added bundles of wool, cotton, a few bunches of silk...and her old green spindle.  
  
Briar met her, their two sturdy horses saddled already, with his own pack. Sandry held another small sack, filled with food wheedled from the cook, and they set off silently down the road. Where they headed, they didnt know. All they could hope for was a small, growing village that needed to be populated...at a distance from Emelan.   
  
But first, to Winding Circle.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  



	13. 

sorry for the shock...short chapter sorry.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Lark?" Sandry rapped at the door, moonlight flooding the walkway. Soft footsteps were heard, and the woman came to the door.   
  
"Sandry?" the dedicate asked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "Briar?"   
  
The girl nodded. "Lark, we need help." They stepped into Discipline softly, but even their stealthiest attempts woke Pasco.   
  
"Whaa?" he mumbled, stumbling out of his room.   
  
"Great, a party," Briar said sarcaustically, but his voice betrayed his feelings.   
  
Lark sat at the table. "What is the matter?" she asked, her eyes worried.   
  
Taking a deep breath, Sandry said, "Lark, as a dedicate, you can perform marriages, right?" The woman stared back at her former student. Pasco gaped, his dark eyes wide.   
  
"Marriage?" he squeaked. Looking from Briar to Sandry to Briar again, he began to laugh. "Oh no."   
  
"Shut _up, _Pascie," Sandry warned. Then she blushed a deep red. "Lark, really. We have to leave now, and it would be so much easier this way!"   
  
"Leave?" Lark said, incredulous. Sighing, she continued. "You're right, i do have the power to perform marriages, and...i am bound by my obligation not to tell anyone if you wish." She looked at Sandry. "Is it a baby?" The girl nodded.   
  
"Please, Lark?" Briar pleaded, beginning to sweat. "The duke's gonna find out soon, and we have to be gone!"   
  
Lark, her eyes worried, nodded once before drawing the two into the living room. "All right, i'll do it." Gesturing to Pasco, he folled also. "Pasco, you're my witness."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~  



	14. 

hey...i know this is strange.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Lark sighed, staring out the window at the two retreating figures. As they drew away from Discipline, their forms slowly blended with the night's shadows.   
  
Pasco stood by Lark, watching Sandry and Briar leave. "I guess she's retiring as my teacher," he tried to joke, though he was truly worried.   
  
Lark patted his head, her eyes bright. "No, Pasco. She's just taking a short hiatus." She ruffled his hair once before walking away to her room and shutting the door softly.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sandry's horse trotted quickly until she nearly fell out of the saddle from sheer fatigue. Briar dismounted by her, just as exhausted. "We made it to the forest," he remarked, "before the moon reached its peak. That's good time, you know. seven miles."   
  
She shrugged, pulling him by the hand six feet into the trees. Securing their mounts by a large clump of dewy green clover, she patted the mare and stallion before staggering to a nearby willow. Waving a limp hand, Sandry quickly wove an impromptu shield around Briar and the horses, for protection and invisibility. Curling up, the two slept to the sound of their horses chewing contentedly.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next day, at about noon, Vedris still hadn't heard Sandry's indignant and protesting voice at his door.   
  
He shook his head, wondering at the thoughts that passed through his mind. "Veddie?" the shadowy voice whispered through his head, as it had last night in that strange dream. "Why are you doing this? I did not mean to leave you..." The dancer's image flashed before his eyes once more, her scarlet skirts twirling in a joyful dance.   
  
"Yazmin," he murmured. How he had lain awake for hours, wishing to sleep once more, if only to see her again. His eyes unfocused where he sat, gazing into his lost love's face.   
  
"Dear Gods, what have I become?" he asked himself out loud, standing purposefully. Walking, with sure steps, he arrived shortly at Sandry's door. Knocking, he listened anxiously for a stirring sound.   
  
But none came.   
  
A half hour later, Vedris had forced the lock and...found the room empty.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Come on, Sandry!" Briar said, as they reached the end of the first forest. "I suppose there must be somewhere we can settle?"   
  
"Are we even still on Uncle's land?" the girl asked, wonderingly. They had traveled so far already...she slapped herself on her head. "Of course! What was i thinking? There are three forests between Emelan and the mountains."   
  
"Well, we just passed through one."   
  
Sandry squinted, struggling to remember some obscure fact. "I was going through Uncle's papers, half a year ago, while he slept. In the Darkwoods, there's supposed to be a lake at the center."  
  
Briar grinned. "Trees? Water? I'm there. Maybe there's a growing village to join." She shrugged.   
  
"Maybe. It seems like a good idea, anyway. But we better get moving, Uncle has probably found out i'm not there just about now, though he still has to scour Emelan and Winding Circle."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  



	15. new beginnings

heys...  
I write more fast, because in a way, i'm watching teh story unfold too...and its fun.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vedris, by the end of the day, had established that Sandry was nowhere in Emelan or Winding Circle.   
  
"You _sure _you haven't seen her?" he asked Pasco, the boy's eyes wide. He shook his head, cowed by the force in the man's voice. Lark had agreed likewise, and Rosethorn had all but locked herself in the Greenhouse with Crane for three weeks working on a virus from Nemorn.   
  
By the next day, he was sure that she wasn't in the surrounding countryside, visiting friends. Contacting both Tris and Daja by homing pidgeons, for they were too far away for mental contact, the answer came several days later.   
  
Vedris held the letters in his hand. Both were hastily written, though securely tied on to the flying grey creatures. Both parchments all but screamed the same question that rolled in his mind: where were they?  
  
Sandry and Briar were gone; they had virtually disappeared.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
The same day that Daja and Tris' letters arrived in Emelan, Sandry and Briar were passing the river fifty miles north of Emelan. Crossing the rickety bridge, they saw the deep woods loom ahead of them.   
  
"Sure is big," Briar said, staring at the trees.   
  
Sandry sighed. "Should we try it, or simply go around?" she asked, the intimidating size worrying her.   
  
"I think we should go around," Briar said. "It looks creepy."   
  
"I agree." She shuddered. "Its been four, five days. Do you think they're after us yet?"   
  
Briar shrugged. "Probably. But there are three directions away from Emelan, right? Not counting the water..."   
  
Their horses drank the river water eagerly. "Don't worry," she said, more confidently than she felt, "he won't find us."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ho!" Briar called as they trotted into the dirt road. "Anyone here?"   
  
A young woman, maybe a year older than Sandry, stepped out of a small cottage. "Hello?" she asked, waving some men over from a field. "Are you here to settle?" Her voice rose with excitement.   
  
Sandry and Briar exchanged glances. "Yes."   
  
"Oh, good!" The girl clapped her hands together. "Come talk to my fiance and brothers!" Waiting for them to dismount, she held out her hand. "My name is Emmie," she said, "And its wonderful to have someone to talk to again!" Lowering her voice confidentially, she whispered, "I was so lonely, the only other two women are my mother and another woman who is fifteen years older!"  
  
Sandry giggled. "Then we can be friends?" The other nodded eagerly, her grey eyes cheerful.   
  
Her older brother, by his similar eye color, shook Briar's hand. "Good to have you here." Waving to the fields, he sighed and ran his hand through his dark, straight hair with frustration. "We need help. That corn just doesn't want to grow!"   
  
Briar winked to Sandry. "I guess I can help," he said, trying to keep amusement out of his voice.   
  
"C'mon!" Emmie squealed. "You can stay with us tonight, and until we can help you make a house!"   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
  



	16. home sweet home

heheheheh  
i completely lost track of the seasons, so pretend its late spring now...because i dont know hwat it is...  
  
and thsi is a really boring chapter. its mostly explanation, though. sorry if its boring. I probably won't use half of these names. i suppose just remember Emmie, Larion, and Anitra, the healer. perhaps Weslay, because i will use his name more often than the others because i don't want to look up names. The others won't appear much except for farming.   
  
and a poll: i will stick to this place for a while anyway, but: should i embellish the pastoral section of this story and talk about their new life for a while, or should i hurry it a bit?   
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
That night around the campfire, Sandry's blue eyes drank in several new faces. "Tesa," she whispered, taking it into her memory. The woman's large, doughy face seemed to have nothing in common with her daughter Emmie's sweet countenance. Emmie's father, Ores, was large and quiet, like his twin sons Relen and Weslay, both a year older than their sister.   
  
Emmie herself sat across from Briar and Sandry, holding hands with her fiancee, Larian, the only son of the midwife Anitra and husband...her husband...  
  
_What's Anitra's husband's name again? _Sandry asked Briar through mind speech.  
  
_Uhh...Donsor?   
  
Thanks! _  
  
"So, Sandry," Emmie asked, her grey eyes longing for company, "What are you planning to do?"  
  
She thought for a second, gazing into the sparking fire. "I suppose," she replied slowly, "perhaps a small home, a garden, maybe a small crop."   
  
Grinning, Briar poked her in the arm. "We?"   
  
"I plan to help," she retorted.   
  
"So," Weslay drawled, his grey eyes and dark, straight black hair similar to his sister's, "What are you two? Like, brother-sister, or cousins...?" He leaned over the back of the oak log, sprawled on the ground next to Sandry. He grinned, trying to charm his way into her life.   
  
"Actually," Sandry said, her voice as candid as ever, "We're married." Her heart gave a slight twinge of delight as she said that, and knowing it was true.   
  
_He's flirting! _Briar said with exaggerated outrage.   
  
_Well, he's been stuck with his sister, mother, and calabash aunt for six months, he's probably going insane!  
  
_Tesa glared at her son, and _she _didn't need mindspeech to convey her message. The nineteen year old picked himself up off the ground, slightly sheepish but still unrepentant. "Married?" Tesa pounced on the subject. "Mighty young for all that, aren't you two?"   
  
Briar shrugged. "I guess," he said, "but we wanted to, and then it was time to set out and settle. So everything worked out fine."   
  
"How long have you been married?" Emmie asked, a dreamy look in her eyes. Larian nodded, his pale face turning nearly as red as his hair.   
  
_You've only been pregnant a month and one week, we cannot 'overlap' time, _Briar reminded Sandry. _I wouldn't want to lie, which is a first, but... _Out loud he replied, "Two months, Emmie."   
  
Through talk and discussion, it was decided that Briar and Sandry's hut would be set up nearby Emmie's and Larian's home-in-progress, that it would have two rooms, and that the field adjoining would be granted them. "About a stone's throw in width, and twice as much in length," Ores said in his deep but quiet voice, "and a barn-shack for yourn's horses."   
  
The fire was dwindleing to coals. "Ah, time to sleep," Larian yawned. Emmie tugged on Sandry's hand.   
  
"C'mon!" she said. "Its been a long day. Mother and I will make up an extra pallet, you can stay with us." She pointed to the first cottage, its edges blurred by shadow. "We can all plan out tomorrow when the sun rises."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Seven days later, when the house was nearly built, Sandry took her parcel and shook out several silver coins. "Briar?" she said. "I'm going to ride out and buy some sheep, chickens, maybe a cow, and the means of a loom. Is there anything you need?"   
  
"All alone?" he exclaimed. "Is it safe? Can we afford it?"   
  
She grinned. "I'm going under magic until I get to town, then whatever I buy shall be invisible also. And it would only be around ten silver coins, and I have several bags worth of that, and some gold astrels I took from my savings."   
  
Briar sighed, his green eyes worried regardlessly. "Are you sure? I would rather go...and sheep? They smell!"   
  
"You have to help build the house," she reminded him. "And sheep make wool, and i need wool to make cloth. And a cow because children need milk!"  
  
"Rosethorn forced me to drink milk," he grumbled. "I guess the poor kid will haveta, too." Briar paused. "If anything happens to you, I shall...I dont know what, but it will be painful!"   
  
"Do you need anything!" Sandry breathed, tapping her foot on the wooden floor impatiently. "I have to leave soon, otherwise i won't reach the town- Redeen- in time. And i have to go now, before I start to swell up with the baby."   
  
"Some seed corn, wheat, potato, carrot, celery, lettuce, oats, barley," he rattled off. "Here, I'll attach this wagon-thing Larian built out of wood. Its handy."   
  
"If I forget anything, i'll mindreach you," she said, before saddling her mare and trotting off, waving to Emmie.   
  
"C'mon!" he yelled. "I can't let you go alone." Running to the field, he dragged his horse over and fastened it to the harness. "I'm going too."   
  
She smiled, her blue eyes sunny with surprise. "Oh well. I suppose i won't be lonely then." She pressed his hand once before saying, "Lets go!"   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They returned in two days, leading a soft brown cow, six sheep and a ram, and bearing several crates of chickens and bags of seed. A small puppy played in the sacks, batting at the lumpy objects inside. A large kettle, several small pots and bowls, utensils, a loom, several lanterns, and various planting equipment and an ax rounded off their purchases to slightly more than they had expected, but they still had quite enough savings in the bags of money they had buried under the floorboards of their home.   
  
The puppy, a grey mixture they had found at a small boy's house, in a basket for sale with its fellows, was purchased for the protection of the sheep and chickens, though slightly frivolous. It whined as they drove up to the clearing, where Emmie was weeding their garden.   
  
"Ho!" she yelled, waving when they were still far away. Her grey eyes widened in shock. "A cow? Sheep?"   
  
Sandry grinned. "Yup, we're really going to settle, thoroughly!" she hollered back, releasing the puppy. It ran all the way up the road to Emmie, its tiny tail wagging so hard its body shook with glee.   
  
She laughed. "All right then, I suppose thats good." It licked her face before running back in a circle. Sandry's mare lifted its hooves carefully, trying to avoid the small grey dot yapping by its feet.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  



	17. the home and the paper

hey again.   
  
yeah i will speed it up, but not that fast. its a mix of the _two _people who answered my poll. thanks you two. that was sad, people, i need more feedback!  
  
and im obsessed with sheep, i have a fairy tale that has sheep in it.   
  
~~~~~~~``  
  
Within two weeks, the house was complete, with thatching and a snug shed for the mare and stallion, and the stock. The chicken coop was built, practically predetor-tight, for the twelve chickens and rooster.   
  
They built a loft, cushioned with hay, above but away from the cooking area. "It can be used for storage," Briar explained. "And we can sit up there sometimes, 'cause the hay is soft."   
  
To the confusion of the others, they built a trap door in the ceiling to open on the gently sloping roof, flat enough to sit outside on. "Why do you need that?!" Weslay exclaimed. "Its...a hole!"   
  
"It's homey," Sandry argued. "It's..." she couldnt continue. Memories of Discipline flooded both she and Briar, so they continued with the "hole," making it complete with a latch on the inside leading to the loft. When staring at the roof from the garden, it's door was completely invisible. During the hot nights, they would lay on the roof and stare into the sky, wondering what the other two were doing, but still afraid to write in case they would be discovered.   
  
They quickly planted the garden and field, Sandry stubbornly helping while cursing her skirts all the while. "If it wouldn't scandalize Tesa and Anitra," she hissed, "I would do away with it all and wear breeches!" She wiped her forehead, dotted with sweat.   
  
Briar laughed. "They would probably gasp and call you a 'modern girl,'" he teased. "But don't worry, I think after planting you won't have to do much of this. Plants are my thing," he said. "Good thing Rosethorn taught me 'bout crops, or we might be having more trouble right now."  
  
"I'll still do the garden, even if I don't work in the field, and i'll help during harvest," she insisted. "Otherwise, what will i do?"   
  
"Watch sheep?" he replied. "You can go all sheperd on me," he teased. "With one of those curly staffs and the dog and everything."   
  
She snorted. "Fun. Well, I can make a string-barrier with yarn, so they can't stray." Sandry paused, thinking. "I wonder if i should tie magic-string collars to them, so if they cannot pass the fence..."   
  
"Lets try? Sheep are boring, i'd hate to have to catch them when they run off."   
  
"Well," she replied waspishly, almost like Rosethorn, "When its snowing in the winter and you're wearing wool, you must thank them and give my sheep a big, sticky kiss for their hard work."   
  
"Aghh!" he groaned again. "I'll pass on that, but I'd be proud to give the clothesmaker a kiss, but not her sheep." He did so once with enthusiasm before continuing on, weeding the rows of corn and wheat of any pests and annoyances.   
  
Sandry stood, gathering several skeins of yarn. "Briar, do you think this will work?" She held out the string, protective herbs woven in, along with bits of paper with protective symbols on it. He nodded, so she took her shovel and buried the string around the field, in one large protective circle.   
  
"Well, just don't try to burrow under the ground, and you'll be fine," she said, after she was done. "I have to figure out something for birds, but it should stop small animals from going under, or through the fence." Sandry gestured to the blue and yellow yarn wrapped around the fence posts. "It's worked for the garden so far."   
  
"Good, and that made the corn happy, or at least they said so."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
During the day, they worked on the crops, garden, and animals, but at night Briar stocked up herbs and Sandry wove at her loom, furnishing their home with blankets and other cloths. "It should be better, when the sheep are ready to be shorn," she said merrily. "Then i can make wool rugs!"   
  
The garden was thriving, its beanstalks twining merrily around its supports, the potato patch was growing happily, and the pumpkins, carrots, lettuce, radishes, and others were green and healthy. The corn, wheat, and barley heads were swelling, as was Sandry's stomach.   
  
"You can't see it much yet, its only been three months," she said, when Briar stared at her repeatedly. "It will get big a few months later! It's barely changed," she insisted.   
  
"Okay," he said, dubious.   
  
Luckily, when the guard came, Briar was absorbed in the corn's growth and Sandry was inside the house baking Lark's fruitbread recipe. She had hung the protection against fire above the oven and fireplace, just in case, as Emmie had advised her to do. "Lest," she said, "the wood and straw catch fire."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The horse's hooves rang out on dirt road, its rhythm warning Emmie of the approach far before the man himself was visible. "Hello?" the soldier called, trotting up on his horse. "Anyone here?"   
  
Emmie ran out, as she always did. "Hi!"   
  
He dismounted, pulling a piece of paper from his satchel. "I'm here from Emelan, Duke Vedris' capital. We are required to post in every town, city, and village within his lands this paper." He held up a printed poster.   
  
Emmie took it in her hands. "Is someone missing?"   
  
He nodded. "Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, and a Briar Moss." The girl's eyes widened, but she remained calm. "They have been missing from Emelan for about two months. If you see anyone matching these written descriptions, please contact the Duke, and he will be grateful."   
  
"Sure," she said quietly, taking the paper from him. "I'll show this to the others." He saluted her gaily before trotting off in the other direction, to spread the papers farther through the kingdom.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Emmie stared down at the paper for a second before briskly trotting over to the cottage. Wafts of scent drifted by as the bread cooled on the stone oven. "Sandry?" she said, opening the door.   
  
"Emmie! Come in," was the reply, as Sandry walked out with a basket of linens on her arm. "I'm just going to the river, to wash, while the bread cools off."   
  
"Are you Lady Sandrilene fa Toren?" her friend asked bluntly.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
copyright sorka robinton 2001  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	18. reunion!

hey guys!!!  
  
sorry its been a while...i have tests now.   
  
and sorry, the conversation between all teh people is confusing, but its supposed to be...its like a big confusing bundle of people talking...you know how reunions are, right?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sandry smoothed her apron, placing the basket on the table. "Am I Lady Sandrilene fa Toren?" she repeated, voice calm though her nerves were on end.   
  
Emmie held out the paper, filled with printed words. "This, Sandry. Is it true?" she asked, grey eyes wide. "Sandry!"   
  
She sighed, feeling extremely tired. "Yes, Em, thats me, and Briar is that Briar." Picking up the laundry again, she walked out the door.   
  
"Sandry!"   
  
"What?"   
  
Emmie stood spluttering. "You're a noble? A high noble? Living in our tiny, obscure village with us ordinary folk?"   
  
"Yes," Sandry replied. "That's us."   
  
"But why?"   
  
Sandry grinned. "Its a long story...do you have time?"   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sandry was six months pregnant, and increasingly swelling, when Larian and Emmie were finally wed. For days in advance, she embroidered the pale green dress with flowers and roses for the event, before presenting it to the happy bride.   
  
"Sandry," Emmie gasped, staring at the gown. "It's more beautiful that I could ever had imagined!"   
  
Her friend grinned, passing her the soft bundle. "It is a special occasion," she teased. "And you have to look nice for Larian!" The girls giggled before dressing her for the wedding.   
  
It turned out, after the new couple had been spirited away to their new cottage, that a carriage pulled up to the back of their home.   
  
"Briar?" Sandry mumbled, rolling over carefully to avoid her swelling belly, "Did you hear that?" Moving his arm, which was draped over her back, she twisted off the bed.   
  
He muttered. "Donn knno..." stumbling to the door. "Whaa?"   
  
And a disgruntled Tris stood in front of wagon, yanking a protesting Niko out of the driver's seat. "I made him find you," she snapped, looking frazzled. Daja jumped out the back blithely, grinning at her plump friend, whose red hair was sizzling with lightning.   
  
"Redhead?" Briar said, rubbing his tired eyes. "Daja? Niko?"   
  
Tris scowled, adjusting her thick glasses. "You missed your Mastery," she accused. "The council was shocked, and they wanted us to find you. For some reason, they're desperate to add you two sillies to their ranks. But Niko wouldn't tell us, so we made him."   
  
Sandry peered out the door, and let out a glad cry. "Tris? Daja?" They ran to hug, and even Tris' cropped hair stopped sparking.   
  
"Sandry!" Daja gasped, turning her friend around and examining her obviously pregnant form. "You didn't? Is it...you know...?" She gestured with her head to Briar. Sandry nodded, blushingly.   
  
"This is so strange," Tris commented. She dragged Pasco by the back of the shirt, obviously irritated by the boy's silly prattle and pranks. "I mean, you guys are only seventeen..."  
  
"Oh, gods!" Niko yelled, the knowledge permeating his brain. "What did I tell you?" he pointed his finger accusingly at Briar.  
  
Tris grinned. "We went to visit Lark, like I said, but we were delayed. Pasco finally snapped, after some small conversation." She smiled slyly. "I prodded him with lightning."   
  
"Tris!"  
  
"Gosh, Teacher," Pasco grinned, "You sure got big."   
  
"Briar, you lousy chuffle, I warned you!" Niko muttered, before clapping the boy on the shoulder and smiling despite his comments.   
  
"This conversation is becoming to complicated," Briar complained.   
  
Tris groaned, running her plump fingers through her short hair. "And you're going to be a father? What is this place coming to?!"  
  
"C'mon inside," Sandry told them, opening the door wide. "We can tell you about it there. Isn't it chilly?"   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They stayed for a week, Niko slowly mellowing with time and accepting the inevitable: a baby on the way.   
  
The villagers, especially Emmie, fell over their own feet to serve Master Niko Goldeye, and his students, innocently figuring that their friends Briar and Sandry were simply old friends.   
  
Only Emmie knew that Sandry was a noble, and that they eloped at all.   
  
The week flew by as quickly as a sigh; old friends and good times sped the clock. Before they knew it, the sevenday was over in a flash, and Daja, Tris, Pasco, and Niko packed back into the wagon.   
  
"We promise to come when the baby is born," Daja said, waving to Briar as she clasped Sandry's hand.   
  
"All of us," Pasco laughed, looking at the scowling Niko.   
  
Waving merrily, they left in the whirlwind of excitement which they had brought to the tiny rural cottage.   
  
"Gee, Sandry," Larian said, trotting up to where they were standing. "Didn't know you two knew the_ Goldeye._ Interesting friends you've got._" _He grinned slightly.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~


	19. the baby

hey again...thanks for reviewing! im really bored so i will speed it up a lot...i think this chapter is longer...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After Daja, Tris, Pasco, and Niko had left, she felt a deep, hollow pain in her chest. There was something missing in their peaceful, agrarian life.   
  
"Old friends," she murmured to herself. "I miss them. This just isn't right, Briar."   
  
"I know how you feel," he replied. "They   
  
Briar hugged her around her large waist. "I miss them too," he told her. "But they'll be back when the baby is born..." He paused. "And we still have to test for Mastery. They'll be getting theirs next year...and Daja told me the Masters were worried that we have disappeared...do you know they waited for us?"   
  
"What?"   
  
"They waited for us, to get their rank. They thought it wouldn't have been right unless the whole circle was promoted."   
  
Sandry gasped. "Tris didn't tell me!"   
  
"She didn't either, Niko did."   
  
"Then," his wife told him, hands on stomach, "I better hurry with this child and return, otherwise the other two will search us down."   
  
Briar grinned, patting her hair gently. "Don't rush, lovey. We have all the time in the world." She smiled up at him, and hugged him around the waist as tightly as her belly would permit.   
  
The discussion was stopped abruptly as Weslay ran in, holding the hand of a girl. "Everyone!" he yelled. "Me'n Messila are going to be married!"   
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Three months later, the troupe returned for the birth of Sandry and Briar's baby. Warned ahead of time to come early, they still arrived only one day before Sandry fell to her knees in the cabin and gasped, contractions coming faster at each moment. "Now I know why it's called labor," she moaned.   
  
Anitra bustled in, clean cloths and rags in a basket. For hours, Briar held her sweaty hand as she breathed in and out, as her hand tightened in pain, and until a baby girl was delivered an hour before dawn.   
  
"Its a daughter," Anitra said, washing the squalling child and handing it to Sandry, whose hair was darkened by sweat. "Here you go."   
  
Briar stood nervously behind her, twitching. Sandry smiled down at the tiny armful, grinning as it squirmed. "She's so lovely," she whispered. "What shall we call her?"   
  
"Something...fitting."   
  
Sandry hesitated. "How about Shemonah?   
  
Her husband smiled. "_She Monah. _Small circle." Grinning, he ruffled Sandry's hair and the baby's downy locks. "Perfect for our latest addition, seeing that she has that pink light thing happening inside her." His hand cradled the baby's tiny head and Shemonah sighed and fell promptly asleep.   
  
"Besides," Briar added, "_Monah _is also a monetary term. She can be rich."   
  
"Oh, you," Sandry nudged him. Staring at the sleeping girl, she smiled. "You know, I didn't actually believe she would really be here until she began to cry."  
  
Her husband blinked several times. "She's ours," he said, his voice trailing wonderingly. Sandry reached back with one hand and gripped his, feeling the bliss in his tense form. "She's really ours. Our little girl." The little girl twisted around slightly, her pink skin a stark contrast to her curling brown hair.   
  
A knock sounded at the door. "Can we come in?" Pasco whined. "Teacher Sandry, we want to see the new baby!"   
  
Briar yelled for them to come in. "And close the door, its a bit drafty at this time of winter!" He walked a few steps towards them, but refused to release Sandry's tired hand for the rest of the long day.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Niko," Sandry asked the next morning, "What shall we do about our Mastery?"  
  
The older man's grey brow furrowed as he thought. "After all is settled, all of you-" he glared at Daja and Tris, who looked away innocently- "shall finally speak to the anxious old Masters."   
  
"Do you think we're ready?" Briar demanded, his face tense, though his hold on the sleeping child grew no less gentle.   
  
"Are we ready?" Daja repeated softly, her expression no less doubting than the plant mage's.  
  
Niko sighed. "Sometimes, when young students are surrounded by greatness, it is difficult to recognize one's own genius. As is the case with the four of you, the best of your generation, it was nearly impossible." The man glared fiercely at all of them with his piercing black eyes.   
  
"Thanks, Niko," Tris whispered. The others nodded also, touched by his rare sentimental compliment.   
  
"But most of all, you-" he pointed to the Circle- "must not only see your worth as a group, but each member's individual merit. I am proud, of all you young mages, and am pleased with the opportunity to watch you grow into your magic and social power."   
  
"Now," he added, staring at the stunned group. "When _are _you going to go for your Masteries? All of you..."   
  
They looked around, mindspeaking for several moments while Niko waited. "I think," Daja piped up, "We shall go- all of us- when Shemonah is old enough to travel safely."   
  
Sandry looked up, hugging the baby. "Yes. Also, is there anyway-" she hesitated- "for me to see Uncle?" Biting her lip, she confessed, "I really do miss him, Niko, and i know that you all haven't been mentioning him on purpose."   
  
The greatmage cleared his throat uncomfortably, exchanging an almost imperceptible glance with Pasco. "Later, wait until the baby is old enough."   
  
"Shall we plan?" Tris asked. Daja nodded, draped over the loft with her arms dangling. "All right, Briar, Sandry. How old is old enough?" She tenderly touched the baby's hand, even her steely grey eyes softened by the tiny child.   
  
"A few months?" Sandry asked.   
  
"All right. We shall come for you, and arrange the meeting with the Masters in Emelan. Is that okay, Sandry?" Niko suggested. "This way you can see Vedris..."   
  
"And I can visit you all too," Pasco put in. "I won't be there otherwise. How else could I see all of you turn into Masters?"   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  



	20. return to emelan

heys...sorry its been so long. by the way, did the books tell us what vedris' oldest son's name is? or daughter? if so cna you tell me...and im nearing the end, you wonderful reviewers! thank you.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
And so, five months later, the Circle returned to the tiny cottage and they set off on horseback and wagon towards Emelan.   
  
Shemonah gurgled and waved her tiny hands the whole way, curly brown hair growing so profusely that the child would have locks down to her ankles by the time she was ten years old. "She likes traveling," Sandry commented one afternoon, as the little thing attempted to drag herself over towards the saddles.   
  
"Oh, then she's the lucky one," Tris grumbled as Sandry went to pick up the baby and return her to the makeshift cradle.   
  
And all four of the mages sweated and worried about the Mastery, as the handful of elders would sit and question them. With psychoanalysis as their primary weapon, the magic wouldn't spare a single corrupt aspect of their minds.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vedris felt the healer wipe the sweat from his forehead, but his arms felt like two blocks of lead. Their whispers worried him, but when he attempted to question them, Moonstream would smile her sweetest and most stubbornly and pat his head like a lap dog.   
  
"What.." he croaked.   
  
"Hush, your Grace," the assistant healer told him. "You must rest."   
  
In the hallway, footsteps clattered along the stone floor. "Dratted mages," Moonstream muttered. "Can't they be _quiet?" _Walking to the door, she opened it with an annoyed flourish. "Be quieter! He's trying to rest."   
  
The duke snorted, but the young healer (what was his name? Bran? Bean?) forcefully pushed his head back down to the pillow.   
  
Niko stuck his head in. "Sorry, Moonstream." In a whisper, meant not to reach the patient's ears, he mumbled, "Our Circle is back. All of them. So the Masters are extremely excited, but we'll be softer."   
  
"All of them? You've found all of them? Even..." Moonstream's voice faded as they stepped into the hall.   
  
"What?" Vedris attempted to sit up, but found himself short of breath within a moment. The young man looked at him, hand firmly keeping him prone.   
  
"Stop that, sir, with all due respect." His droll voice, slightly sarcastic, dulled the duke's anger.   
  
"But my niece..."   
  
"She'll still be here after you rest," Bran/Bean replied. "What is she going to do, run away?"   
  
With a weak smile, Vedris shook his head. "Then you don't know Sandry..."   
  
His eldest son, with his stuffy wife and spoiled children in the corner, snorted loftily. "She's a runaway, if I must say, Father. With some street rat, who's no better than he ought to be-"   
  
"Shut up!" the duke roared, before Bran/Bean ushered them out of the chambers, along with Vedris' second son and his daughter.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
And it was over.   
  
The four were outside, being cloaked in robes of different colors, the filmy, dusky blue-grey of a stormcloud for Tris, a bright scarlet laced with gold threads for Daja, a warm golden-honey silk for Sandry, and a brilliant emerald brocade for Briar.   
  
"I can't believe it..." Daja murmured, fingering the velvet red of her robe. "How did they know?"   
  
Niko grunted. "Their specialty is seeing into your mind and souls, why do you doubt their ability to choose your profession's colors?" Then seeing the awed and slightly maudlin faces of his students, he visibly softened. "They do this for everyone, they're quiet good at it."   
  
"What was yours?"   
  
The man smoothed his salt-and-pepper mustache and chuckled. "Black and silver."   
  
Silence for a moment. "How did we do?" Briar whispered.   
  
Lark and Rosethorn entered, followed by Crane and Frostpine. "Quite well, in fact," Lark said, smiling proudly at her housemates. "I think you stunned them. They-" she gestured to the handful of bent, decrepit dedicates who tottered after them- "have never seen such young mages with your level of dedication, education, and overall commitment to serving humankind."   
  
They smiled their toothless smiles, eyes bright with intelligence despite their age. "Welcome to the Mastery!" one old woman said, patting each of the new Masters on the forehead with a dry, papery hand.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He couldn't sleep, knowing that she was somewhere in the castle.   
  
"Stop thinking about it!" Bran (it was Bran, after all, not Bean) said. "It's making you get excited, and that makes you worse."   
  
"You're a torture as it is," Vedris mumbled, hoping to offend, but the man only laughed.   
  
"Try Moonstream when she's in a fit. And make sure you cover your eyes and curl into a ball to protect your inner organs." The eldest son sat up, properly dignified in his rage, but Vedris simply waved him back.   
  
"Make yourself useful, bring me those papers on the West Hill's famine." The son stomped over to the draws and began fruitlessly rummaging through the papers.   
  
"Gods," Vedris said scathingly, "And how are you supposed to manage my affairs when I'm gone?"   
  
"I don't know!" was the half-whine that uttered from the grown man's mouth.   
  
He couldn't help but chuckle, but that turned into a cough. And when he opened his eyes, there was a figure standing in the doorway.   
  
"Uncle?" Sandry said. She stood firm, unwaveringly, in the doorway, but she neither ran towards or from the sick man in the bed.   
  
"Sandrilene?" Holding out a wrinkled hand, pale from lack of sunlight, the duke smiled as openly as he could manage. "You're back?"   
  
Walking slowly over, she placed her hand in his. "I'm back, Uncle."   
  
Closing his eyes for a second, he sighed happily. "Good. And a Master?" he added, seeing her witched robe. She nodded, and behind Sandry he saw that plant-boy lingering in the background. "Oh, you. Come on out. I'm not going to bite you, I promise."   
  
So Briar stepped out, and the little child in his arms became visible. "I'm going to hold you to that promise, your Grace," he commented as the duke's eyebrows grew closer together for a second or two.   
  
"Bah, boy," Vedris grumbled. "You're not making it easy for me..."   
  
Sandry laught, slightly tearfully. "Are you all right?" Bran snorted behind her, and she jumped back. "You have to rest!"   
  
"Fine...but one thing...can you find the West Hill's papers? My son-" he glared- "cannot apparently find anything."   
  
"Oh, sure." Walking over to the cabinet, she quickly selected one and opened it, whisking the file into her uncle's shaking hands within a moment.   
  
"You're a good girl." Vedris managed a smile at Briar and Shemonah. "Can I meet your daughter?"   
  
Bran and Moonstream sighed simultaneously. "Vedris," the woman said, deeply regretful. "You should rest. Shemonah can be back later to meet you."   
  
"Oh, all right then." Waving all the people out of the room, Bran closed the doors firmly behind the crowd.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~  



End file.
